Food & Beverage

  • March 27, 2025

    Gastropub Chain Bar Louie Hits Second Chapter 11 In 5 Years

    Texas-based gastropub chain Bar Louie filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware, listing nearly $70 million of debt, about five years after the chain sold itself to creditors in a previous bankruptcy.

  • March 26, 2025

    Sotomayor Urges Caution On Nondelegation Doctrine Revamp

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned her colleagues during oral arguments Wednesday against using a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's administration of a broadband subsidy program as a way to resurrect the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine. Several conservative justices, however, seemed willing to disregard that admonition.

  • March 26, 2025

    Pepperidge Farm Can't Outswim Goldfish False Ad Suit

    Pepperidge Farm can't escape a proposed class action alleging it falsely labels its Goldfish crackers as containing no artificial flavors or preservatives, despite citric acid being part of the ingredients list, after a New York federal judge said Wednesday the plaintiff demonstrated the statement could be deceptive to reasonable consumers.  

  • March 26, 2025

    Mars Risk Exec Caught With Hand In Cookie Jar, Feds Allege

    A former Mars Inc. subsidiary global price risk manager pled not guilty in Connecticut federal court Wednesday to multiple criminal charges alleging that he defrauded his employer out of more than $28 million to fund his lifestyle, including a $2.3 million Greenwich home and a ranch in Argentina.

  • March 26, 2025

    Judge Tosses Some Wage-Fix Claims Against Meat Packers

    A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday ruled that plaintiffs alleging meat producers conspired to fix industry wages can't recover under certain claims for conduct that happened before January 2020, finding an amended complaint raised a new conspiracy for which the companies weren't on notice they could be held liable.

  • March 26, 2025

    Wings Restaurant Illegally Retains Tips, Server Says

    Wild Wing Cafe claimed a tip credit allowing it to avoid paying servers a full minimum wage, but then required workers to pool their tips and used the cash to pay for restaurant expenses, a proposed class and collective action filed in North Carolina federal court said.

  • March 26, 2025

    Sysco Can't Tap Out Of $50M Price-Fix Deal With JBS

    Sysco can't back out of a $50 million agreement it made with JBS for the meat producer to exit sprawling litigation accusing it of working to fix the price of poultry, beef and pork, even though Sysco has since signed away its interest in the antitrust claims, a federal court has ruled.

  • March 26, 2025

    Del. Justices Urged Not To Open Malpractice Suit 'Floodgates'

    Attorneys representing Brockstedt Mandalas Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg & Cardea PA urged the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject a bid to revive a malpractice suit filed over damages sought for a child's "catastrophic injuries" allegedly caused by contamination from a chicken plant, saying doing so could open "floodgates" for similar suits.

  • March 26, 2025

    Worker Says Koch Foods Fails To Pay For Off-Clock Tasks

    Koch Foods refused to pay workers for the time they spent putting on and taking off protective gear, and it deducted money from their paychecks if they needed items replaced during a workweek, a proposed class action filed in Illinois federal court said.

  • March 26, 2025

    UK Antitrust Arm Probing Food Services Merger

    Britain's antitrust watchdog has launched an initial enforcement order into global catering giant Aramark Group's acquisition of Entier, a Scottish rival, over concerns the transaction could result in a "substantial lessening of competition" in the food services sector.

  • March 26, 2025

    Dollar Tree Selling Family Dollar For $1B To PE Firms

    Dollar Tree said Wednesday it has agreed to sell its Family Dollar business for just over $1 billion to two private equity firms, after the Davis Polk-guided discount retailer revealed strategic review plans to sell the cash-strapped unit in June.

  • March 25, 2025

    7th Circ. Says Wendy's Couldn't Foresee Or Prevent Shooting

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a legal win for Wendy's in a suit brought by a customer who was shot in his car in the drive-thru lane, saying the unprovoked shooting was not foreseeable.

  • March 25, 2025

    Ohio Snack-Maker To Pay $1.15M In Worker Wage Settlement

    An Ohio federal judge on Tuesday approved a $1.15 million settlement ending a collective action that accused snack manufacturer Shearer's Foods of having employees work overtime without pay, including doing necessary preshift sanitation and preparation work.

  • March 25, 2025

    Philly Beats Curfew Suit By Minority-Owned Liquor Stores

    A Pennsylvania federal judge dismissed, for now, a constitutional challenge by Asian American and Arab American business owners who alleged Philadelphia city officials unfairly targeted their shops with arbitrary late-night curfews and nuisance ordinances, ruling Monday they lacked standing since none of them received fines or were ordered to shut down.

  • March 25, 2025

    7-Eleven Defends Cautious Antitrust Approach To Deal Talks

    The parent company of 7-Eleven on Tuesday defended its wary approach to a proposed acquisition by Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. saying it has legitimate concerns about the deal clearing U.S. antitrust enforcers.

  • March 25, 2025

    ITC, Chinese Co. Urge Justices To Skip Coke Sweetener Case

    A Chinese company and the U.S. International Trade Commission are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a case from the company that developed the artificial sweetener used in Coke Zero and that wants to keep patents that were filed at the patent office after the drinks went on sale.

  • March 25, 2025

    Sterlington Adds M&A Expert With 'A-List' Accolades

    When Lawrence Waks led the billion-dollar sale of Casamigos Tequila back in 2017, it was a game-changing moment that would reshape his legal career.

  • March 25, 2025

    Baker Botts Atty Says Patent Exec Can't Prove Defamation

    A Baker Botts LLP lawyer is contending that a Florida federal court cannot side with a patent-licensing company executive on his defamation claim against the attorney over her comments in a news article about a patent suit against Starbucks, saying she didn't say anything false.

  • March 25, 2025

    Coffee Drink Co. Asks Justices To Review TM Fight With Pepsi

    A company that makes nitro-brewed coffee drinks called "Rise" has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to answer whether the strength of a trademark is a question of law to be decided by judges after the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit against PepsiCo.

  • March 25, 2025

    Ariz. AG Warns Cops, Retailers About Illegal THC Sales

    Arizona's attorney general has sent letters to both retailers and law enforcement over the sale of THC products by unlicensed shops, clarifying that such sales are illegal and giving them a month to prepare for enforcement by the attorney general's office.

  • March 24, 2025

    Beyond Meat Sued On Allegations Broker Accessed User Data

    Plant-based meat substitute producer Beyond Meat Inc. has covertly teamed up with data broker Experian to track website visitors and sell their personal data "to the highest bidders" without their permission, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court. 

  • March 24, 2025

    Mich. Justices Partially Side With Disney In Escheat Fight

    The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state's audits of Disney and of IHOP's owner didn't pause the statute of limitations to require remittance of unclaimed property, but it said a lower court must determine whether the statute resets after an audit determination is issued.

  • March 24, 2025

    Colo. Judge Doubts Iffy Firing Facts Can Get Restaurant A Win

    A Colorado federal judge was skeptical Monday that he, rather than a jury, should be the one to decide whether a seafood restaurant fired a worker because of her nationality or because she drank alcohol before a shift, in a suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • March 24, 2025

    Bread Financial Gets Investor's Spinoff Suit Tossed For Good

    Bread Financial Holdings Inc. and some of its executives have beaten a shareholder suit alleging that they tried to defraud investors by concealing issues with now-bankrupt spinoff company Loyalty Ventures, with a court ruling that the defendants had made necessary disclosures to investors.

  • March 24, 2025

    Byron Allen Can't Revive $100M McDonald's Fraud Suit

    A California appeals court on Monday refused to revive Byron Allen's $100 million fraud lawsuit over McDonald's 2021 pledge to spend more advertising money on Black-owned media, saying the fast food giant did not make an actionable business commitment by "joining a national dialog on racial inequity."

Expert Analysis

  • Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords

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    Large retail tenants often require co-tenancy provisions in their leases, entitling them to remedies if a shopping center's occupancy drops in certain ways, but landlords must draft these provisions carefully to avoid giving tenants too much control, says Gary Glick at Cox Castle.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Nuclear Waste Storage Questions Justices May Soon Address

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    The petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to review U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas stands out for a number of reasons — including a deepening circuit split regarding the NRC's nuclear waste storage authority under the Atomic Energy Act, and broader administrative law implications, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

  • 3 Patent Considerations For America's New Quantum Hub

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    Recent developments signal an incredibly bright future for Chicago as the new home of quantum computing, and it is crucial that these innovators — whose technology has the potential to transform many industries — prioritize intellectual property strategy, says Andrew Velzen at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

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    Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Creates New Rule For Certification Marks

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    The Federal Circuit's decision last month in Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac v. Cologne & Cognac Entertainment is significant in that it establishes a new standard for assessing evidence of third-party uses of a certification mark in deciding whether the mark is famous, say Samantha Katze and Lisa Rosaya at Manatt.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Conservation Rule Already Faces Challenges

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    The Bureau of Land Management's interpretation of land "use" in its Conservation and Landscape Health Rule is contrary to the agency's past practice and other Federal Land Policy and Management Act provisions, leaving the rule exposed in four legal challenges that may carry greater force in the wake of Loper Bright, say Stacey Bosshardt and Stephanie Regenold at Perkins Coie.

  • A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President

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    For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies

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    An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • The Fed. Circ. In August: Secret Sales And Public Disclosures

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    Two recent Federal Circuit rulings — Sanho v. Kaijet and Celanese International v. ITC — highlight that inventors should publicly and promptly disclose their inventions, as a secret sale will not suffice as a disclosure, and file their patent applications within a year of public disclosure, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.

  • Employer Arbitration Lessons From Calif. Consumer Ruling

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    Although a California state appeals court’s recent arbitration ruling in Mahram v. Kroger involved a consumer transaction, the finding that the arbitration agreement at issue did not apply to a third-party beneficiary could influence how employment arbitration agreements are interpreted, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor Law.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

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